Two ships sailed across the sea, the Jolly Roger fluttering from their masts announcing their identity to the world. Pirates. The most loathed and feared existence on the high seas.
"Kid, we've already formed an alliance with Hawkins and Apoo. Once the time is right, we'll drag Red-Haired Shanks down from his throne as one of the Yonko!" Killer stood on the bow deck, his voice thick with excitement.
Compared to two years ago, Killer now sported a beard on his chin, severe burn scars on his left arm, and a significantly more muscular build. The aura radiating from him was heavy with murderous intent.
"Tch... wait until the timing is actually right before talking. That old hag Big Mom has been chasing us relentlessly lately. It's a pain in the ass!" Eustass Kid dismissed the thought with an impatient wave, his face etched with annoyance.
Kid's hair had grown longer, and his body was mapped with numerous scars. Most striking, however, was his left arm, which had been replaced by a metallic prosthetic, a clear sign of the heavy toll he had paid.
"Can't be helped. Who told the Captain to sink two ships under that old hag's fleet recently? I heard they were carrying rare ingredients meant as tribute for her," Killer said, shaking his head with a wry chuckle.
Tap, tap, tap, tap...
Sudden, hurried footsteps approached. Kid and Killer turned back to look.
Heat, looking somewhat like a zombie, ran over and shouted, "Captain, a large merchant ship has been spotted to the front-right!"
Kid's eyes lit up instantly. He snatched a pair of binoculars and peered in that direction.
Sure enough, a ship with a black hull and white wave patterns was cutting through the waves roughly two thousand meters away. It looked to be about a hundred and twenty meters in length.
Kid studied the sails and muttered, "There's a pattern of a fiery red clover on the sail..."
Before Kid could finish his sentence, Killer spoke with certainty. "That's a merchant ship from the Red Clover Merchant Guild! There's bound to be a Golden Ring flag with a sword-and-skull design on the mast. That's a guild under the Chris Pirates!"
Kid blinked and quickly checked the mainmast. Indeed, a Golden Ring Jolly Roger was fluttering in the wind.
"A merchant ship under 'Golden Ring' Aeridar, huh?" Kid let out a wicked grin. "He's the richest man in the world. Perfect. Our ship took some damage and we need funds for repairs. Let's have him 'lend' us some!"
Killer and Heat were both startled.
"Captain, that's the Chris Pirates. There's no need to provoke them right now, is there?" Heat's zombie-like face went stiff as he tried to intervene.
"Kid, that man isn't someone to mess with. If we're short on cash, we can raid other merchant ships or some kingdom's nobles!" Killer added his own warning.
"How many merchant ships can compare to one under the Chris Pirates?" Kid bared his teeth in a wide smile. "A ship this size... the cargo alone might be enough for us to buy several new vessels!"
"Kid, shouldn't we reconsider?" Killer really didn't want to clash with the Chris Pirates just yet.
"No need. This is the one!" Kid waved him off, his expression turning cold. "All hands, battle stations! Target the merchant ship at our front-right. Begin the attack!"
Once Kid's order was given, Killer and Heat had no way to stop their captain's recklessness. He was the captain, after all.
"Captain Kid!"
"Take that ship!"
"Ohhh! Loot everything!"
As the order spread, the pirates on both ships cheered. Men scrambled to their positions, steering the ships and prepping the cannons. The pirate vessels shot toward the merchant ship like arrows.
When they closed within a thousand meters, the crew of the Red Clover Merchant Guild ship realized something was wrong.
Usually, most pirates would steer clear the moment they saw the Chris Pirates' flag. Even the Yonko, the Marines, or World Government ships typically maintained a respectful distance.
"Pirates ahead, listen up! We are a merchant ship under the Chris Pirates. Do not approach within a thousand meters!"
"Pirates ahead, listen up! This is a Chris Pirates vessel. Do not approach within three thousand meters!"
A booming broadcast echoed over the water, serving as a warning to the Kid Pirates.
"Boring," Kid sneered with a disdainful laugh. He waved his hand. "Ignore it. Fire the moment we're in range!"
BOOM! BOOM!
Just as Kid finished speaking, two cannon blasts rang out from the distance. Two flashes of fire erupted from the merchant ship's starboard side. The searing cannonballs arrived in a flash, crashing into the sea a hundred meters away and sending plumes of water ten meters high.
"That's a warning shot, Captain! There's still time to withdraw!" Heat urged nervously.
"Shut up! Today, I'm taking what's theirs!" Kid barked coldly.
Soon, the distance between them closed to about eight hundred meters.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM...
In an instant, all three ships opened fire simultaneously. Dense flashes of flame erupted from the broadside portholes as over a hundred cannonballs were launched.
Immediately, all three ships were hit. The wooden hulls couldn't withstand the impact of solid shot. The solid wood decks were smashed into jagged holes, sending splinters flying everywhere. In the first volley, both sides suffered over a dozen casualties.
The surrounding water churned violently from the explosions, with water columns rising twenty meters into the sky. The ships rocked unsteadily against the waves.
While standard cannons have a range exceeding a kilometer or two, in a naval battle where ships are constantly moving, eight hundred meters is considered the optimal engagement range.
However, to the Kid Pirates' surprise, within just five minutes of engagement, the single merchant ship was actually suppressing both pirate vessels with its superior firepower.
"Damn! How do they have this much firepower?" Kid was stunned. If it weren't for the fact that it was a merchant ship, based on the flag and sail patterns, he would have thought they were fighting a Marine warship.
"At least fifty cannons, all 18-pounders and 24-pounders... A mere merchant ship, and yet they are equipped so luxuriously!" Killer gripped the railing, his voice incredibly grim.
It was no wonder they dared to sail the New World alone. It wasn't just the protection of the Chris Pirates' flag; that sheer firepower alone was enough to make any ordinary pirate crew bleed out before they could even get close.
Cannon manufacturing requires a specific industrial base and technology. Small cannons under 12 pounds are common and easy to make, so easy that even average pirates can cast them. But once you reach 18 and 24-pounders, the difficulty curve spikes vertically. Pirates usually have to buy them on the black market or steal them from the Marines or World Government member states.
For an entire ship to be outfitted purely with 18 and 24-pounders... that was at the level of a Marine Second-Class Warship. And even then, a Marine Second-Class ship would only carry thirty-six guns total, excluding the dual turrets. This merchant ship actually outgunned them.
Whiz—!
A pitch-black, searing cannonball whistled through the air, heading straight for Kid at the bow.
"They really are filthy rich!" Kid licked his lips with bloodthirsty intent. He raised his right hand, and purple electrical arcs began to dance before him.
Immediately, the cannonball's speed plummeted until it came to a dead stop right in front of him.
"Repel!!!" Kid shouted.
Under the invisible force, the cannonball flew back at high speed, retaining its original momentum.
BOOM!
The shot hit a gunport on the merchant ship's starboard side, blowing a massive hole in the hull. Inside the port, an 18-pounder was flipped over, its barrel twisted, and several gunners were killed or maimed instantly.
With Kid's ability tipping the scales, the tide of battle began to turn. The Red Clover merchant ship was hit repeatedly. Splinters flew as the casualties mounted.
"Bastards! How dare they? How dare they?!" The merchant captain roared in a fit of rage. "Don't they fear the Chris Pirates' retaliation? King Aeridar will never let these damn runts go!"
"Captain! Three guns on the starboard side are out!"
"It's bad! Fourteen guns on the port side have been destroyed!"
"The mainmast is snapped! We're losing power!"
"We've been hit at the stern! Sea water is flooding the cabins!"
"The pirate ships are within four hundred meters!"
As one bad report followed another, the merchant ship found itself pushed into a desperate corner.
On his own ship, Kid was ecstatic. In his eyes, the battle was nearing its end. A sailing ship that had lost its power was nothing but a sitting duck. He prepared his crew to board for the final slaughter. To him, boarding meant victory.
...
"Captain Kid! A pirate ship has appeared behind us!"
"It's... the flagship of the Chris Pirates!!!"
The lookout's voice was exceptionally shrill, vibrating with pure terror.